Xia Tian sat and chatted with the Second Madam for a while, then said goodbye and returned to Jinglan Garden.
Thinking about what the second lady said just now, although I am not very willing, it would be best to draw a portrait of the old lady.
This way, if anything happens to her in the future, she can't expect the old lady to stand on her side, but at least she shouldn't suppress her.
Time was running out, so Xia Tian went straight to the study.
Yesterday in the palace, the Empress Dowager and the Imperial Concubine also spoke up for her, so she had to show her appreciation in some way.
She had originally planned to paint a separate picture for the Empress and the Imperial Concubine.
Now she still has the paintings she promised to Prime Minister Xu and Marquis Wu'an, plus the two from Shopkeeper Xiao, so she still has at least seven paintings to complete.
Xia Tian felt a bit of a headache thinking about it. Although he made a lot of money, there were also a lot of things to do. It was a mixture of pain and happiness.
Fortunately, Prime Minister Xu and Marquis Wu'an can come later.
But the other paintings still need to be completed as soon as possible.
I did what I said. Except for lunch time, I spent almost all my time in the study.
In the evening, Chen Nian came back and looked for Xia Tian, but Xia Tian was still in the study and had not eaten dinner.
Shen Nian knocked on the door and went in, "Come out for dinner, have you been painting all day?"
"Okay, wait a moment, I'll finish this part." Xia Tian agreed without raising his head and continued sketching.
Shen Nian took a closer look and asked in surprise, "Is this a painting of the Empress?"
He thought it was a painting for Prime Minister Xu or Marquis Wu'an!
"The Queen also made an appointment with you for a painting?"
"No." Xia Tian stood a step away and admired the painting he had just drawn. He smiled and replied, "Yesterday, when Princess Yunying and Princess Ruihua were giving me a hard time, the Empress came to my rescue. I wanted to thank them."
Shen Nian nodded, raised her hand to take the brush and painting tray from Xia Tian’s hand and put them on the table, “Then let’s go eat first. It’s getting dark, and it’s not good for your eyes.”
"Well, let's go. We won't paint today." Xia Tian took off her apron. Ningxiang brought warm water. She washed her hands and took Shen Nian to the warm room.
Ningxiang came out and locked the study door.
In the warm room, Ningxue and Cuiyun had already prepared the food.
The two sat down to eat together.
"The emperor called me in for questioning today." Shen Nian said as he put a piece of food into Xia Tian's bowl with chopsticks.
Xia Tian asked casually, "What does the emperor want to see you about?"
Shen Nian looked at the person who was only focused on eating and had no curiosity at all, and she wanted to laugh, "The emperor heard that you were Mr. Xuanying and questioned me for a long time."
"Oh? What did you say? You're not going to ask about my background, are you?" Is the emperor also so gossipy?
"That's not the case, but the emperor wants you to be his royal painter." Shen Nian said lightly.
"Cough cough cough" Xia Tian thought he had misheard and was choked by the sudden words.
Official painter? That's not the case, is it?
"There is no royal painter in the palace? Can a woman like me be the royal painter?" She was really curious. Why did she feel that the emperor was like a child who had not grown up, and did whatever he wanted.
"The palace has royal painters, just painters, regardless of gender."
"You agreed? Then wouldn't that mean I'm stealing the painter's job?"
"No. I said I would come back to discuss it with you." Chen Nian said with a smile, "The emperor said that your portraits are good and realistic. It's just for when there is a need, not for formal portraits."
Shen Nian paused, “And the emperor said the silver will be paid!”
Oh! And pay the money! Xia Tian instantly became excited again, "Then this emperor is not bad either."
Shen Nian laughed, he knew that only money could make this girl agree.
However, she was still worried and asked, "Brother Shen, if I want to paint a portrait for the emperor, is it not appropriate to charge money?"
"It doesn't matter. The emperor can still afford that little bit of silver." Shen Nian comforted herself.
"That's good. I'll take the job." Xia Tian waved his hand generously. After all, it was just a temporary job and he would only go when needed. It wouldn't take away other painters' jobs. He could also make money, so why not do it.
"Then I will tell the emperor tomorrow that you agreed."
"Um."
In the following days, Xia Tian stayed in the study painting. It took him ten days to finish and frame the portraits for the Empress and the Imperial Concubine.
The portrait of the Queen shows her walking as she entered the hall on her birthday. She is dignified and beautiful.
The painting of the imperial concubine shows her holding the little princess and making her laugh. It looks warm and beautiful.
After the painting was finished, Xia Tian put it in a box and asked Chen Nian to send it to the palace.
In the evening, Shen Nian came back and brought her a bunch of rewards.
Xia Tian was also helpless. He wanted to express his gratitude, but the Queen Mother and the Royal Concubine were too polite and still gave him a lot of gifts.
Shen Nian asked her to accept it with peace of mind, saying that the emperor had allowed it.
What she didn't know was how happy the Empress and the Imperial Concubine were to receive the portrait. Such a small thing was nothing to them.
Especially the imperial concubine, after receiving the portrait, she immediately had it hung on the wall in her room.
The main reason is that Xia Tian is so good at capturing people's attention. The imperial concubine only gave birth to a little princess, and she was in pain like the apple of her eye. Now there is a portrait of mother and daughter in the same frame, and you can't get enough of it.
Nature's rewards are also generous.
The Queen was happy that Xia Tian was sensible and remembered her kindness.
Naturally, she would not be stingy with people who knew what was interesting.
In short, everyone is happy.
After hearing what Chen Nian said, Xia Tian accepted it with peace of mind.
She has caught the attention of several bigwigs in the palace.
In the following time, she concentrated on painting the portrait of the old lady.
Although the old lady was still indifferent to her these days, she didn't find fault with her anymore, and she felt very happy.
The second lady over there was also ordering people to start decorating the house. The old lady's birthday still had to be celebrated with great fanfare.
Three days before June 12th, the old lady's portrait was finally completed.
I took some time to visit Linglong Lane in the summer.
A few days ago, Uncle Chen sent someone to say that the yard on the right side of their second courtyard was for sale, and Xia Tian wanted to buy it.
This was also what she asked Uncle Chen to pay attention to last time, saying that she wanted to buy another yard.
That yard also has two entrances, with the same layout as hers, and she happened to go and take a look today.
"Uncle Chen, that yard hasn't been sold yet, right?" Xia Tian asked as soon as he entered the door.
"Not yet. I've been keeping an eye on it these past two days, but the price of that yard is four thousand taels." Uncle Chen explained behind Xia Tian.
"Go and ask if they will sell it for 3,500 taels of silver?" She bought this yard for 3,500 taels of silver.
After a while, Uncle Chen came back and said that the other party agreed to sell it for 3,500 taels of silver. Xia Tian didn't go to see it, but directly gave the silver to Uncle Chen and asked him to handle the paperwork.
He gave another five thousand taels of silver to Uncle Gu, asking him to buy some more food when the opportunity arose.
She still thinks it's safer to stock up more.
Aunt Gu also said that food prices have risen again recently.
This time, whether it is coarse grains or fine grains, as long as you can buy them, it’s fine.
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